Operating mechanism for doors



June 193? J. A. YOUNGBLOOD 3 OPERATING MECHANISM FOR DOORS Filed Aug.12, 1935 6 Sheets-Sheet l awe/who's June 11937. J. A. YOUNGBLOODOPERATING MECHANISM FOR DOORS Filed Aug. 12, 1955 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 FF/ r2&833133 June-115 1937v J. A. YOUNGBLOOD OPERATING MECHANISM FOR DOORSFiled Aug. 12, 1955 a Sheets-Shet s ,-d vvu e m kw I Jam er 0. )61/11715/0 00 ,QQ N

June 15, 11931 J. A. YOUNGBLOOD OPERATING MECHANISM FOR DOORS Filed Aug.12, 1935 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 June 15, 193?. J. A. YOUNGBLOOD v OPERATINGMECHANISM FOR DOORS 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Aug. 12, 1935 awe who ePatented June 15, 1937 i" hi it i i" i Application August 12,

15 Claims.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in operatingmechanism for doors.

One object of the invention is to provide an improved mechanism which isparticularly adapted for use with the doors of jail cells which areordinarily located in a long row or block, the mechanism being soconstructed that the operator may open, close, look or unlock any numberor all of the doors from a single point.

An important object of the invention is to provide an improved operatingmechanism for jail doors which is so arranged that any number or all ofthe doors may be locked or unlocked in an open or closed position andalso whereby any number or all of the doors may be moved to an open orclosed position, the mechanism including a minimum number of partswhereby the device is not only eificient in operation but is alsosimpler and cheaper to manufacture as compared with similar devices nowin general use.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved operatingmechanism for jail doors including a door operating unit and a doorlocking unit, there being a co-action between the units whereby thelocking unit cannot be actuated until and unless the door or doors havemoved to a completely open or a completely closed position, or the doorscannot be moved until after the looking unit has been actuated to unlockthe doors, which eliminates danger of jamming the locking mechanism aswould be the case if the same were operated while the door or doors werein motion.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved operatingmechanism for a plurality of jail doors including a door operating unitand a door locking unit, the first named unit serving to open or closeall of the doors simultaneously While the latter unit serves to lock orunlock all of the doors simultaneously, and a single means for each doorarranged to co-act with both the door operating unit and the lockingunit for preventing that door from being locked, unlocked, opened orclosed, as the case may be, upon the next actuation of the two units.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an improvedoperating mechanism for a plurality of jail doors including meansattached to each door and arranged to move therewith for indicating tothe operator, who cannot View all or" the doors, the particular positionof each door during its movement from or to an open or closed position,whereby said operator is at all times informed which doors, if any, arenot operating correctly.

A still further object of the invention is to pro- 1935, Serial No.35,835

vide an improved operating mechanism for looking, unlocking, opening orclosing a plurality of jail doors which arelocated in a row,said'mechanism including a single means for each door for cutting outsaid door whereby it becomes inoperative, the actuation of said out outmeans being accomplished through pull rods which extend from each meansto a central operating point, said outout means being so arranged andmounted that the pull rods for operating the same may be mounted invarious vertical planes which eliminates the necessity of bending saidrods, thereby making for more eificient operation of the mechamsm.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improvedoperating mechanism for jail doors, whereby all the operating levers forlook ing, unlocking, opening or closing the doors, or for cutting outany number, or all of said doors to make them inoperative, is mounted ata single point, whereby one operator can easily control all the doors.

A construction designed to carry out the invention will be hereinafterdescribed, together with other features of the invention. I

The invention will be more readily understood from a reading of thefollowing specification and by reference to the accompanying drawings,in which an example of the invention is shown, and wherein:

Figure 1 is an elevation of a. pair of jail cells which form a part ofthe usual row of cells and showing only the essential elements of thedoor operating mechanism, constructed in accordance with the invention,one of the cell doors being open while the other is closed,

Figure 2 is a transverse, vertical sectional view taken through one endof the casing for the operating mechanism and showing only the manualcontrols and actuating members for the locking and door operating bars,

Figure 3 is a horizontal, cross-sectional view, taken on the line 33 ofFigure 2,

Figure 4 is a transverse, vertical, sectional view,

CTI

Figure 9 is an isometric view of the cut-out member,

Figure 10 is an enlarged view, showing the actuating member for thevertical latch bar,

Figure 11 is an isometric view of the same,

Figure 12 is a transverse, vertical, sectional view, taken on the lineI2-I2 of Figure 6,

Figure 13 is a transverse, vertical, sectional view, taken on the line|3l3 of Figure 6,

Figure 14 is an enlarged view showing the cutgut member, and actuatingmember for the latch Figure 15 is a horizontal, cross-sectional view,taken on the line l5-l5 of Figure 12, and

Figure 16 is an isometric view of the latch bar, showing the door insection.

In the drawings, the numeral l0 designates jail cells which are usuallymounted in rows or blocks along a single corridor. It is noted that onlytwo cells are shown, but it is pointed out that any desired number maybe disposed in a single row. The cells are of the ordinary constructionemployed in the usual steel jail system and each cell is provided with asliding door H. Each door is formed with an upwardly extending extensionmember H which passes through a slot l2 in the casing 32 which enclosesthe mechanism and which extends longitudinally over the row of cells.This extension has suitable rollers l3 journaled on its rear side onpins 14, and these rollers are arranged to ride on a longitudinal trackIt (Figures 12 and 13), whereby the door is suspended from said rollers.It is noted that the track I5 is of suflicient length so that the doormay slide to a completely open position without said rollers riding oilof the track. This construction is generally practiced in. theconstruction of jail cells, and a more detailed description is deemedunnecessary.

From the above, it will be seen that each cell door is suitably mountedto slide, whereby the doors of the cell may be easily opened or closed.For locking each door in its opened or closed position, a verticallymovable latch bar It is provided. The latch bar is preferably angular incross-section (Figures 12, 14, and 15), and is slidable within avertical casing or housing H. The casing, of course, protects said latchbar from being tampered with by the occupant of the cell.

The outwardly extending leg Iii of the latch bar is terminated short ofthe lower end of said bar. This leg is arranged to engage notches [8which are formed in a flange I9 which extends upwardly from thesupporting base member 20 of the door I l. The notches I8 in this flangeare so located that when the door is in a completely closed position andthe latch bar I6 is lowered the lower end of the leg [6 of said latchbar will engage one of the notches. At the same time that the lower endof the leg l6 enters one of the notches l8, the upper end of said latchbar moves into a notch 2| which is formed in the upper frame member 20'of the door I I. It will be seen by observing Figure 12 that with thelatch bar I6 in a lowered position the door is incapable of movement.When the latch bar is raised the lower end of its leg IS moves out ofthe notch l8 in the lower supporting frame bar 20 of the door H. At thesame timethe upper end of said latch bar moves out of the notch 2| inthe upper member 20 of the door II, and a slot 23 which is cut in theleg [6 of the latch bar moves into alignment with said upper member 20',whereby the inner edge of said upper iramemember may travel through saidslot to permit movement of the door. From the above, it is obvious thatwith the latch bar in a lowered position the door H is locked againstmovement. When the latch bar [6 is raised said door may be moved to anopen position. For locking the door in an open position similar slots 2|and I8 are formed in the other end of the frame members 20 and 20 ofsaid door, whereby when the door is moved to an open position the latchbar may be lowered so that its leg 16' will engage the notches l8 and 2|to lock said door in an open position.

It is noted that a latch bar is provided for the door of each cell It.For actuating the latch bar it to raise and lower the same, said latchbar has its upper end extending through a slot 24 in the bottom 25 ofthe casing '32. This upper end of the latch bar I6 is pivctallyconnected to an actuating member 26. The actuating member comprises twotriangular shaped plates 2'! which are disposed one on each side of thelatch bar, whereby a pin 28 may be passed through the plates and bar toprovide a pivotal mounting. The plates 21 are suitably pivoted on a pin29 which is supported in bearing plates 30 which extend.

upwardly from the bottom 25 of the casing. Asclearly shown in Figures10, 11, and 1a, the actuating member 26 acts as a bell crank lever andwhen the latch bar is in a lowered position the pin 28 and the pivot 29of said actuating member 26 are in horizontal alignment with each other.It will be obvious that when the plates 21 are swung, or in other wordswhen the upper end of the actuating member 26 is swung the latch bar Itwill be lifted. Therefore, the raising and lowering of the latch bar isaccomplished through the medium of the pivoted actuating member 26.

For imparting a swinging movement to the actuating member 26, so as tooperate the latch bar IS, an elongated locking bar 3| is provided. Thislocking bar extends the entire length of the row of cells and is capableof a longitudinal movement. The bar 3| provides a master operating meansfor actuating all of the latch bars in a particular row of cells. Thelatch bar actuating member 26 together with the longitudinally movablelocking bar 31 are enclosed in an elongated casing 32 which is mountedadjacent the top of cell doors, and extends the entire length of the rowof cells. This casing may be constructed of any suitable metal and isfor the purpose of protecting the operating mechanism from damage by thecell occupant. If desired, the casing 32 may be provided with a suitableaccess panel 33 above each cell door, whereby ready access may be had tothe operating mechanism for that particular door.

As clearly shown in Figures 2, 4, 6, and '7 the locking bar 3| extendsthrough the end wall 32' of the casing 32, and the extreme outer end ofthis bar extends into a control compartment 34 which is located at oneend of the row of cells, adjacent the end cell in that row. The controlcompartment has all the manually operated members therein, as will beexplained. The extended end of the locking bar 3| has the upper end ofan actuating lever 35 pivoted thereto. The lever 35 is pivoted near itsupper end on a pin 36 which is supported in a suitable ear or bracket3'! which extends outwardly from the rear wall of the controlcompartment 34. The lower end of the lever is provided with a suitablehandle 38 which is slidable through guide gears 39 extending outwardlyfrom the inner wall of said compertinent 34 (Figure 2) It will beobvious that when the lower end of the lever is swung inwardly, theupper end of said lever will be moved outwardly toward the outer portionof the compartment 3d. This movement of the upper end of the lever willmove the locking bar 3! in a direction to the left (Figures 2, 8, and10).

For cletachably connecting the locking bar 3| with the actuating member26 of the latch bar it, a yoke 46 has one end pivoted to the upper endof the actuating member 26. The locking bar 3! passes between the plates2'! of the actuating member and also between the arms of said yoke tit.The other end of the yoke has its arms connected by a transverse pin 4!,the pin being arranged to engage in a slot 12 formed in the upper edgeof the locking bar. It is obvious that with the pin il located Withinthe slot or notch 42 within the bar 3|, that the movement of said bar tothe left (Figure 10) will impart a swinging movement, as shown in dottedlines in Figure 10, to the actuating member 26. Such swinging movementof the actuating member 25 will, of course, raise the pin 28 in theouter end of said member, whereby the latch bar [6 is raised so that itsleg i6 will disengage the notches in the supporting bars 29 and 2% ofthe cell door H, whereby the door is unlocked and may be slid to an openposition. If, after the door is swung to its open position it is desiredto lock said door in such position, it is only necessary to swing thelever 35 back to its original position which will move the locking bar3! to the right in Figure 10 which will swing the actuating member 26back to its original position through the medium of the yoke to and pinti, whereby the latch bar it is lowered to engage the notches I3 and Elto lock the door in its open position.

So long as the yoke of each actuating member 25 for each particularlatch bar it of the various doors is engaging in its notch 42 of thelocking bar .3l, it will be obvious that a swinging of the lever 35 willoperate the latch bars of all or" the doors in unison andsimultaneously. In other words, a swinging of the operating lever willunlock all the doors at the same time. Similarly, it will look all thedoors at the time. Therefore, it will be seen that a single controlmeans is provided for actuating the lock of all of the doors of thecells in a particular row. it is obvious that if the pin @l of any oneof the yokes til which control a particular latch bar is disengaged fromits notch d2 of the locking bar, then the actuation of said locking bar3! will not operate the actuating member 26 of the particular latch bar.However it will operate the latch bars of the other doors which areconnected thereto through the medium of the yoke ill. Thus it will beseen that any particular door may remain in a locked position, open orclosed, while the other doors are being unlocked, opened and relocked,as will be explained. For imparting motion to the sliding doors ii toopen or close the same, the extension H which extends upwardly from eachdoor through the slot it in the bottom 25 of the casing has a pair ofplates 35 suitably secured to either side thereof. These plates arepreferably rectangular in shape and may be welded, riveted or otherwisesecured to the extension ll. As clearly shown in Figures '7 and 13, anelongated actuating or door propelling bar 4% extends within the casing32 throughout the entire length thereof. This actuating bar is invertical alignment with the extension I I whereby said bar passesbetween the upper ends of the plates 45 which are carried by saidextension. This propelling bar is arranged to move longitudinally withinthe casing, as will be explained.

For connecting the plates 35 and extension. I l with the movableactuating bar 46 a pair of yokes ll and 48 are provided. The yoke 41extends outwardly from one end of the plates 65, being pivoted theretoand has its outer end connected by a transverse pin i'l' which isarranged to engage in a notch t9 formed in the upper edge of theactuating bar 66. The second yoke 38 extends from the other end of theplates :35 being pivoted thereto, and has the outer end of its armsconnected by a transverse pin 58 which is arranged to engage a similarnotch 5! formed in the upper edge of said b a-r it. It is noted that thenotches 49 and 5! are formed so as to have one side substantially atright angles to the upper edge of the bar 46 while the other side isinclined as is clearly shown in Figure 7. It will be obvious that whenthe pins 4? and 553 of the yokes 4? and t8 respectively are engaging intheir notches 49 and 5i that a movement of the bar 36 in eitherdirection will cause the plates 45, extension l i and the door l I to hemoved in that direction.

Assuming that the door is in a closed position (Figures 7 and 8) withthe yokes ll and 48 connected with the actuating bar til through themedium of the pins and notches, it will be obvi one that when theactuating bar is moved to the right in 8 that the flat side of the notch5i engaging the pin 56 of the yoke 43 will pull the door along with thebar. Thus the extension I i is caused to travel through the slot i2provided in the bottom 25 of the casing, and the door H is moved to itsopen position, as shown in dotted lines in Figure 8. After the door hasbeen moved to this position, it will be obvious that a reverse movement,or a movement to the left in Figure 8 of the actuating 35 will cause theflat side of the notch 49 to engage the pin 4? of the yoke 4! to causethe plates Hi and extension ii to he carried to the left with themovement of said actuating bar. Thus the door will be moved back to itsclosed position. It is noted that the yoke 48 and its connection withthe notch iii of the actuating bar (it serve to move the door to an openposition when the actuating bar 46 is moved to the right in Figure 8.When the actuating bar is moved to the left the other yoke Q'l serves toreturn the door to its closed position. It is, of course, obvious thatany number of doors may be connected in this manner to the actuating bar46 whereby any desired number of doors may be opened or closed by asingle actuation of said bar.

Assuming that there are a plurality of doors connected with said barthrough the medium of the wires ll and 4B, and further assuming that thedoors are all in a closed position, it will be obvious that so long asthe yokes 48 are connected with the actuating bar 4 3 that all of thedoors will be opened when said bar is actuated or moved to the right,Figure 13. However to disconnect any one of the doors and permit it toremain in a closed position while the others are moved to an openposition it is only necessary to disengage the pin 50 of the yoke 38from its notch ill in the actuating bar. When this is done it will beobvious that movement of said bar will not open that particular doorbecause there is no connection between said bar and the door. When theyoke 48 has been disconnected then movement of the bar will cause thepin 41' of the other yoke 41 to ride up the inclined side of the notch49 so that the pin will ride on the upper edge of the actuating bar 46.As the actuating bar 46 continues to move to open the other doors totheir completely opened position, the notch 49 from which the pin 41'has been disengaged, will, of course, move to the right (Figure 8). Itis noted, however, that the distance between the notch 49 and the pin 58of the yoke 48 is such that when the door is closed and left closed andthe actuating bar 46 has moved to entirely open the other doors, thenotch 49 will not pass beneath the pin 58 which is in a raised position,as

will be explained later. In other words, as is clearly shown in Figure 1with one of the doors I I closed while the other door is entirelyopened, the notch 49 which is normally engaged by the pin 41' of theyoke 41 does not move into vertical alignment with the pin 50 of theyoke 48 because the travel of the bar 46 is not suificiently great tomove said notch into alignment with said pin. In this way there is nodanger of the pin 58 of the yoke 48 ever engaging the notch 49 which isnormally engaged by the pin of the other yoke 41. Similarly, if the doorhas been moved to an open position and it is desired to leave said doorin such position while the other doors are being moved to a closedposition, it is only necessary to disengage the yoke 41 from its notch49. Then when the actuating bar 46 is moved to the left (Figures 1 and8), the notch 49 will, of course, move from beneath the raised yoke 41and the pin 50 of the other yoke 48 will ride up the inclined side ofits notch to ride on the upper edge of the actuating bar 46. Themovement of the actuating bar 46 which is necessary to completely closethe other doors is not suflicient to move the notch into verticalalignment with the pin 41' of the raised yoke 41. This location of thenotches 49 and 5| prevents any danger of the mechanism ever fouling dueto the engagement of the pin or" one of the yokes with the notch of ithe other yoke.

For closing the elongated slot I2 through which the extension ll travelsin the opening and closing of the door, an elongated slot cover plate 52is provided. This cover plate has a width substantially wider than theslot l2 and is suitably secured to the extension ll whereby it willtravel therewith. The cover plate slides on the bottom 25 of the casingand is held in close engagement therewith by angular guide members 54which engage over the edges of said plate (Figure 8). It is obvious whenthe door is in a closed position the plate 52 on one side of saidextension will close said slot, whereby the occupant of the cell cannotgain access to the casing 32 wherein the operating mechanism is mounted.When the door moves to an open position the plates 52 on the other sideof the extension H will, of course, move into position over the open endof the slot i2, whereby said slot is covered at all times. For impartingmotion to the actuating bar 46 whereby said bar is moved longitudinallywithin the casing 32 to open or close the doors, a worm 55 is provided.This worm is mounted in the end of the casing 32 adjacent the controlcompartment 34, and as clearly shown in Figures 2 and 3 this worm isrotatably mounted on a shaft 56 which has one end extending through theend wall of the casing 32 and its other end suitably journaled in anupwardly extending bracket 51 which is fastened to the bottom of thecasing over cell Ill. The worm is shown as having a helical groove 58 ofvarying pitch from one end to the other and is connected to the dooractuating bar 46 and by means of a pin 66 extending laterally from theend of the bar 46. The pin is secured Within a roller bearing 59 securedto the bar 46, whereby rotation of the pin within the groove is possiblewhich reduces friction. The pin 60, being engaged in the groove 58, itis obvious that when the worm 55 is rotated the bar 46 Will be movedlongitudinally as said rotating pin travels in the helical groove 58,whereby the actuating bar 46 is moved longitudinally within the casing.

For guiding the actuating or propelling bar 46 in its longitudinalmovement the pin '60 is extended outwardly from the bar on the sideopposite the roller 59. The outer end of this pin carries a small roller6| which rides on the inner surface of the vertical side of a channelbar 62 which is located between the end wall of the casing and thebracket 51. A vertically disposed enlarged roller 63 is also journaledon this outer end of the-pin 60 and serves to ride in the groove formedby the inwardly extending flanges of the channel bar. Thus it will beseen that the engagement of the rollers 6| and 63 in the channel barwill serve to guide the end of the propelling bar 46 in its longitudinalmovement. These rollers also serve to hold the rotating pin '60positively within the helical groove 58, whereby there is no danger ofsaid pin disengaging from said groove. To further guide the end of thepropelling bar 46 and to prevent its vertical displacement a bracket 64extends upwardly from the end of said bar and the upper end of thisbracket is forked so as to permit a guide rail 65 which has one endsecured to the end wall of the casing 32 and its other end secured tothe bracket 51, to pass therebetween. A roller 66 is journaled at theupper forked end of the bracket 64, and as clearly shown in Figure 2,this roller is arranged to ride on the upper edge of the guide rail 65.A similar roller '61 is mounted in the bracket 64 directly below theguide rail 65 and has its periphery riding on the under side of saidrail. It will be obvious that the rollers 66 and 61 serve to positivelyprevent vertical displacement of the end of the propelling bar 46 duringthe longitudinal movement of the same.

To impart rotation to the worm 55 so that the propelling bar 46 is movedlongitudinally to open or close the doors ll of the various Jail cells,the extended end of the worm shaft 56 is provided with a gear '68 whichis located in the control compartment adjacent the inner wall of saidcompartment 34. The gear 68 is connected by means of a chain 69 with agear which is mounted on a rotatable shaft H which is journaled in thelower end of the control compartment 34. The shaft H is suitablysupported in a bracket 12, and said shaft extends outwardly toward thefront portion of the compartment 34. This outer end of the shaft H has asuitable hand wheel 13 secured thereto. A handle 14 is pivoted at apoint on the periphery of said hand wheel and this handle is arranged tobe swung whereby it will lie at substantially a right angle to the faceof the hand wheel I3. When swung to such position, it will be obviousthat the operator may grasp the handle 14 and rotate the hand wheelwhereby the gear 18 on the shaft H is rotated. Rotation of the gear 18will impart a rotation to the gear 68 through the medium of the drivingchain 69. It is noted that when the handle the hand wheel shaft ll.

14 on the hand wheel is swung to its operating position said handlewould strike the door 34' of the control compartment, if such door wereclosed. Thus it will be seen that the door to the control compartmentcannot be closed until such time as the handle i i has been swungupwardly out of the way as clearly shown in Figure 2. In this way thehandle acts as an indicator to the operator, whereby he cannot close thedoor to the corn trol compartment unless the handle is swung up.

From the above it will be seen that the locking bar Si is actuated tooperate the various latch bars of the cell doors by merely swingingelongated lever 35. The doors are moved to an open or closed position byrotating the hand wheel i3 whereby the worm 55 is rotated to impart alongitudinal movement to the propelling bar It is pointed out that thehelical groove 58 in the worm 5% is such that three or more completerotations of the hand wheel '13 will cause the roller 5?; in the end ofthe propelling bar 56 to travel from end of said groove to the other.Thus three or more complete revolutions of the hand wheel l3 will movethe doors from either a completely closed position to a completed openedposition or vice versa. The disposition of the elongated hand lever 35together with its particular pivot 3'5 permits the lower end of thelever to be swung only a short distance in order to move the locking bar53! a suflicient distance to lock or unlock the latch bars from thedoors. Thus a minimum amount of eifort on the part of the operator isnecessary to actuate the doors and locks.

For providing a co-action between the operating element for the lockingbar 3! and the propelling bar at, whereby the propelling bar at cannotbe actuated until the latch bar it is released, and also whereby thelatch bar cannot be actuated while the doors are in motion, a groovedcontrol wheel Eli is provided. The wheel 75 is suitably journaled on ashaft it which is mounted within the control compartment above and toone side of the hand wheel shaft ll. The wheel is provided with aperipheral groove ii and the rear face of said wheel is secured to anenlarged gear l8 which is also rotatable on the shaft T6. The enlargedgear is in constant engagement with a pinion 19 which is fastened to Itwill be seen that when the hand wheel 53 is rotated the grooved wheel itwill also be rotated through the medium of the pinion "l9 and gear '88.The ratio of the pinion and gear is such that when the hand wheel hasrotated to completely open or close the doors,

the grooved wheel l5 has made one complete revolution.

The location of the wheel i5 is such that its periphery is in closeproximity to one side of the hand lever 35. This lever is provided witha laterally extending pin 80 which is arranged to ride within theperipheral groove ll of the wheel it. It is noted, however, that the pinengages in said peripheral groove only when the lever has been swung tounlock the doors, that is when the lower end of said lever is inwardlywithin the control compartment 3%. Assuming that the jail doors arecompletely closed and the parts are in the position shown in Figures 2and 4, it will be seen that the hand lever 38 has been swung to locksaid doors. At this time the pin 88 on said hand lever has entered atransverse groove 8i which connects the outer face of the grooved wheelill with the peripheral groove Tl whereby the lever 35 may be swung whenthe groove 8! is in alignment with the pin 88. Now assuming that it isdesired to operate the doors, it will be seen that the lever 35 is firstswung so as to release the latch bar I6, as has been explained. Thisswinging of the lever 35 will cause the pin tlii to enter the peripheralgroove T17 of the wheel iii. Thus the hand wheel i3 is rotated whichimparts a rotation to the grooved wheel 15. As, the hand wheel rotatesit, of course, opens the doors ll. So long as the hand wheel 13 is adand until such time as the door has moved to its completely opened orclosed position, the pin on the lever is travelling within theperipheral groove I? in the Wheel 15. During this time it is obviousthat the lever 35 cannot be swung because said pin 88 is engaging in theperipheral groove. When the doors have been swung to their completelyopen or closed position, the wheel 15 has made one complete revolutionwhereby the transverse slot or groove 8| is again in alignment with thepin 8% on the lever 35. At such time the lever 85 may be again swungwhereby the pin 88 will again enter the groove M. So long as said pin iswithin this transverse groove it is obvious that the hand wheel l3cannot be rotated because the pin engaging in said transverse groove 8|will prevent rotation of grooved wheel 15. Therefore it will be seenthat the locking mechanism cannot be operated except when the doors arein their completely opened or completely closed position. While thedoors are in motion the operating lever 35 for actuating the latch barl6 cannot be moved and therefore there is no danger of actuating thelatch member while the doors are in motion. similarly, when the doorsare in a locked position, the hand wheel J3 cannot be rotated whereby itis impossible to operate the actuating bar 46 while the latch bars Niare in a locked position.

From the above, it will be seen that the propelling bar 46 controls theopening and closing of the doors through the medium of the yokes 41 and8 which engage in the notches 49 and 5! respectively in the upper edgeof said propelling bar. It will further be seen that the latch bar ofeach door is controlled through the operation of the locking bar M whichis connected to the actuating member 25 of each latch bar through themedium of the yoke ll] and pin 4! which engages in the notch 42 in theupper edge of said locking bar. As has been pointed out, so long as theyokes 4i and 48 are engaged with the propelling bar :36 and the yokes453 are engaged with the locking bar 35, then it will be seen that anactuation of the two bars 46 and 31 will operate all of the doors andlocks of same, in a particular row over which the bars dB and 3| mayextend. When it is desired to cut out or prevent the operation of anyone or more particular doors, then it will be seen that it is necessarynot only to disconnect the yoke lii of the actuating member 25 of theparticular latch bar associated with that door, but it is also necessaryto disconnect the yoke 48 from the notch M in the actuating bar 46,whereby that particular door will remain in a locked and closedposition, while the other doors in the row may be opened and locked.

For disconnecting the yoke 48 of a particular door from the locking bar3|, and at the same time disengaging the yoke 48 from connection withthe propelling bar 48, a pivoted release member 98 (Figures '7, 8 and 9)is provided. This release member has a general triangular shape and hasits apex secured on a transverse shaft 9! which extends completelyacross the casing 32 and is located in a plane above the propelling bar46 and locking bar 3|. The release member is fastened on this shaftbetween the rear side of the propelling bar 46 and the forward side ofthe locking bar 3|, as is clearly shown in Figure 7. The release memberis provided with a curved shoe 92 which extends forwardly from one sideof said member. The location of this shoe is such that the pin 50 whichconnects the outer end of the yoke 48 and which extends outwardly fromthe inner side of said yoke 48 may rest upon the upper end of thiscurved shoe. Therefore when the release member 90 is swung upwardly theshoe, engaging beneath the extended pin 50 of the yoke 48 will serve toraise the outer end of said yoke which will cause the pin 50 between theyoke arms to rise out of the notch 5| in the propelling bar 46.Therefore, when the release member 90 is swung upwardly to raise theouter end of said yoke, it will be obvious that when the propelling bar46 is moved longitudinally to open the doors of the various cells, thedoor to which the yoke 48 is connected will not be moved from its closedposition because of the disconnection of the pin 59 with the notch 5|.In order to permit the release member 99 to disengage the pin 4| of theyoke 49 from its notch 42 in the locking bar 3|, said release member isprovided with a horizontally extending slot 93 through which oneextended end of the pin 42 passes. As clearly shown in Figure 7 it willbe seen that this extended end of the pin 4| is constantly in engagementwith the horizontal slot 93. Therefore when the release member is swungupwardly so that the shoe 92 will raise the yoke 48, as has beenexplained, the swinging of said release member will at the same timecause the outer end of the yoke 49 to swing upwardly, whereby its pin 4|will disengage the notch 42 in the locking bar. Therefore it will beseen that the single release member not only disengages the yoke 48 tocut out the opening of the door to which said yoke is attached, but italso raises the yoke 40 from engagement with the locking bar 3|, wherebythe latch bar, l6 of that door will not be operated and such door willremain in a closed locked position. To positively assure that the latchbar l6 of the door or doors cut out, will remain in a lowered lockedposition while other doors in the row are being operated and locked, therelease member 90 is provided with an arcuate surface 94 at itsunderside. The pin 28 by which the upper end of the latch bar 6 ispivoted to its actuating member 28 (Figures 11 and 14) is extendedoutwardly so that this extended end of the pin is in the path of thecurved underside 94 of said release member. It will be obvious that whenthe release member 90 is in a normal position with the yokes 48 and 49engaging their respective bars, the latch bar I6 may be raised by itsactuating member 26 and the extended end of the pin 28 will passupwardly into a cutout portion 95 formed in the release member 90.However when the latch bar I6 is in a lowered locked position and it isdesired to release the yokes 40 and 48 from their respective bars 3| and46, then the swinging of said release member not only disengages thepins 42 and 50 of the yokes 40 and 48 from their respective notches inthe propelling and locking bar, but the curved underside 94 of saidrelease bar 90 will ride up over the top of the extended end of the pin28. Thus so long as the release member is in a position holding theyokes 40 and 48 disconnected from the locking and propelling bar, thecurved underside 94 of said release member is above the extended end ofthe pin 28, whereby it is impossible to raise the latch bar |6 untilsuch time as the release member 90 has been returned to its originalposition.

For swinging the release member 90 so as to disconnect the yokes asabove explained, an actuating arm 96 is fastened on the transverse shaft9| and extends upwardly therefrom as is clearly shown in Figure 5. Thisactuating arm may be secured at any point transversely of the shaft andhas its upper end connected with one end of a pull rod 91 which extendsfrom said upper end longitudinally through the casing 32 and outwardlythrough the end wall of said casing into the control compartment 34(Figure 2). This end of the pull rod which extends into the controlcompartment is secured to the upper end of a pivoted bell crank member98 which may have a general triangular shape. The bell crank is suitablypivoted to the inner wall of the control compartment 34. An operatingrod 99 having a suitable handle at its lower end is secured to the otherend of the bell crank lever, whereby when said operating rod is pulleddownwardly the pull rod 91 will be moved longitudinally within thecasing in a direction to the left (Figures 2 and 5). When the pull rodis moved in this direction it will be obvious that the actuating arm 96is swung whereby the transverse shaft 9| is rotated. Rotation of theshaft 9| will swing the release member to disengage the yokes 4|! and 48from their respective bars whereby that particular door is cut out. Itis pointed out that a similar arrangement of pull rods is provided forthe other doors. By mounting the actuating arm 96 at any point along thetransverse shaft, it is noted that the arm 96 of each door may bemounted in different vertical planes, whereby the pull rods extendingfrom such actuating arms will all be in a different vertical planewithin the casing 32. By providing such an arrangement it is notnecessary to bend the pull rod around the actuating arm of another dooras is the case in many of the devices of this nature now in general use.By eliminating bending of the pull rod it is obvious that a more directpull may be obtained and also a longer life is given the pull rod withmore eflicient operation throughout the life thereof. In order toproperly distribute the pull rods vertically in casing 32 to avoid thenecessity of bending pull rods, and at the same time maintain uniformmovement of pull rods 91, the relative vertical length of release member90 and arm 96 may be uniformly increased or decreased on the varioustransverse shafts 9|. If desired the handle at the lower end of theoperating rod 99 (Fig. 2) may be made larger than the pull rod so thatsaid handle may be engaged in a notch holder I00 or |0| depending on theposition of said rod. In other words when the release member is in anormal position as shown'in Figure 5, the handle of the operating rod 99is engaged in the notch of a bracket I00. When the rod 99 is pulleddownwardly to impart a movement to the pull rod 91 to actuate therelease member, then the handle of the pull rod is engaged in the notchof the lower holder ||l|. In this way a positive means for holding thepull rods in the positions to which they are moved is provided and thereis no danger of the release member 90 swinging from one position to theother without a positive actuation of the pull rod.

From the above it will be seen that a simple, compact and inexpensiveoperating mechanism for actuating the doors and locks of a plurality ofjail cells is provided. The master propelling bar 4'5 controls theopening and closing of the doors, while the master locking bar 3|controls the actuation of the latch bar It. A single release member sois provided for each door and this release member not only serves todisconnect the particular door from the master propelling bar it, but atthe same time it disconnects the latch bar of said door from the masterlocking bar 3!, whereby the door may be neither unlocked or opened. Themanual control for actuating the locking bar, the propelling bar and therelease member are all mounted in a single control compartment which islocated at one end of the row of cells. Ready access is had thereto andmeans is provided whereby the propelling bar cannot be actuated untilthe doors are unlocked, said means also serving to prevent operation ofthe locking bar 3! while the propelling bar is actuating and the doorsare in motion. The device is made simple and may be operated by the mostinexperienced operator. For indicating to the operator who is located atthe control compartment, as to whether or not all the doors in the rowof cells are operating correctly, an indicating means is provided foreach door. This indicating means is clearly shown in Figures 6 and 7 andincludes an elongated slot bar on which has one end secured to the endof the extension ii of the door. The other end of this bar is inclineddownwardly to the bottom 25 of the casing. An elongated slot I E83 isprovided in the bar Hi2 and extends substantially throughout the lengththereof. A pin res engages in this slot 563, and the pin is located onthe outer end of a horizontally disposed arm Hi5. The other end of thearm is fastened on a rotatable shaft Hit which has one end journaled ina bearing iii? and its other end journaled in the rear wall of thecasing 32. It is noted that the rotatable shaft IE6 extends below thepropelling bar it and locking bar 3!.

It is obvious that due to the inclination of the i912, that as the doorI i is actuated or moved to its open position the bar W2 is also movedin the same direction. The pin EM on the arm I05 riding within the slotM33 in the bar will cause the arm i355 to swing upwardly because of theinclination oi: the slot Hi3. As the arm I95 swings upwardly it willrotate the shaft i535. Rotation of the shaft will swing an elongated armit; which is fastened on said shaft and extends upwardly therefrom. Thiselongated arm has an indicator rod Hi3 fastened to its upper end and therod I08 extends longitudinally within the casing and outthrough the endwall of said casing into the control compartment 3 3. The swinging ofthe arm tail will, of course, impart a longitudinal movement to theindicator rod i538 and by numbering the rod at its front end it will beobvious that the operator who is standing at the control compartment canwatch the movement of said rods and thereby ascertain just what doorsare moving and if one happens to be inoperative, he can immediately tellwhich one. For guiding the indicating bar H92 in its longitudinal travelthe lower end of said bar is provided with a laterally extending pin m9which engages in a horizontal slot Hi3 formed in an angular supportingmember 8 l I which is secured to the bottom 25 of the casing. Byobserving Figure 7 it will be seen that as the door I! is moved to anopen position and the bar W2 is moved therewith, the engagement of thepin I09 within the slot I It will serve to guide the lower end of thebar I 62 in its longitudinal travel. It is obvious that after the doorhas moved to its completely open position the arm It? will have beenswung to have moved the indicating rod Hi8 a particular distance whichdenotes that the door is now open. As the door is returned to its closedposition it will be seen that since the pin it is in constant engagementwith the slot in the bar I62, the arm I65 will be returned to itsoriginal position and during such return will, or course, move theindicating rod m3. Therei ore the operator is informed during theopening, as well during the closing of the door of the operation of saiddoor. By determining the length of travel of the rod Hi3 within thecontrol compartment 38, the operator can ascertain the exact position ofthe door as it is moving.

The rotating shaft EM: permits the location of arm Hill at any pointtransversely of the casing thereon, so as to permit the properdistribution of indicator rods Hi8 in the casing. By properproportioning of the lengths of the arms 35 and I07, the movements ofindicator rods I38 may be made uniform.

In operation, assuming the parts to be in the position shown in thedrawings with the doors 1 I in a closed and locked position, it isobvious that the hand wheel it which controls the operation of thepropelling bar it cannot be revolved until the hand lever 35 is swung toactuate the locking bar 35 to unlock the doors by raising the latch barit. This is true because the pin 88 on said hand lever is in engagementwith the transverse groove or slot ill in the grooved wheel l5.

The hand lever 35 is swung which action raises the bars it of all thedoors l i, whereby the doors are unlocked. Of course, if the releasemember of any particular door has been swung by moving the pull rod $2of said release member, then the connecting yoke til of the actuatingmember 253 for the latch bar of that door is disengaged from the lockingbar 3i, whereby that door remains in a locked closed position.Therefore, it will be seen that anyone or a number of the doors can beselectively out out.

After the locking bar 3i has been actuated by the swinging oi the lever35, the hand wheel 73 may then be rotated because the pin 86 on saidhand wheel has moved into the peripheral groove 51 of the wheel "it ashas been explained. Rotation of the hand wheel 73 imparts a movement tothe propelling bar 35 which slides the doors I I to their open position.If any of the release members 9d of the doors have been swung to preventunlocking of a particular door, said release member has alsodisconnected the yoke d8 of that door from the bar 66, whereby such doorremains inactive.

While the doors have been slid to their completely open position, thegrooved wheel 15 has made one complete revolution, so that thetransverse slot ill is again aligned with the pin 86 of the hand lever35. It is noted that while the pin Bil is travelling in the peripheralgroove 1?, which is while the doors are in motion, the lever 35 cannotbe swung to actuate the locking bar 3I, thus avoiding fouling ordamaging the locking mechanism by trying to operate lever 35 while doorsare in motion.

As soon as the doors have moved to their completely open position, thelever 35 is again swung so that the pin 89 engages in the transverseslot 8i. This return. swinging. of the lever actuates the locking bar 3|in an opposite direction to lower the latch bar l6, whereby the leg l6of said bar engages the notches l8 and 2| in the door frame supportingmembers 26 and 20' to lock the doors in an open position.

It is noted that when the doors I l are in a closed position, theextended end of the pin 50 of the yoke 48 of each door is locatedimmediately over the curved shoe 92 of the release member 90. Thus, ifsaid release member is swung before the doors are opened, the yoke 48 isdisconnected from the bar Mi. However, assuming the door is slid to anopen position, then the length of travel of said door as it moves from aclosed to an open position causes the extended end of the pin 47' of theyoke 41 to move into alignment with the shoe. as is clearly shown inFigure 1.

Therefore, when the door is closed the pin 50 of the yoke 43 is locatedover the curved shoe 92 of the release member 9|]. When the door iscompletely open, the pin 47 of the yoke 47 is located over said shoe.Thus, after the doors have been slid to an open position and locked, andit is desired to leave one of said doors in an open locked position,while the others are being closed, then it is only necessary to operatethe release member of the door to remain open. Swinging of the releasemember will cause the shoe 92 to raise the outer end of the yoke 41 fromits notch 49 in the propelling bar 45. At the same time, the releasemember will disengage the yoke 40 from the locking bar 3|. Thus anyparticular door, or any desired number of doors may be locked in an openposition, while the remainder of said doors are moved to their originalclosed position. It is noted that the release member it cannot beactuated to cut out any particular door unless such door is in a lockedopen or locked closed position because if the latch bar I8 is in araised or unlocked position then the front face 94 (Fig. 9) of releasemom-- ber 99 would strike pin 28, thus avoiding the possibility of shoes92 being raised except when pins for lifting yokes are immediately overthem.

It is pointed out that the entire mechanism has been constructed with aview to simplicity so that the most inexperienced operator can controlthe doors. The controls are so arranged that the propelling bar cannotbe actuated until the locking bar has been operated. Neither can thelocking bar be actuated while the doors are in motion. This positivelyeliminates any danger of fouling the mechanism, at any time.

Any single one or any desired number of the doors may be locked in aclosed position while he remainder of the doors are operated in theusual manner. Similarly, any one or any desired number of the doors canbe locked in an open position while the remainder are returned to aciosecl position. Thus, every possible condition is taken care of forone of the doors can be in an opened, locked position, or any desirednumber may be in such position while the other doors are operated fromopened to closed. Any door may be selectively cut out from the system bya single release member for that door which is manually operated from asingle point. Further, a simple, indicating means is provided for eachdoor, whereby the operatoris advised of the movement of each particulardoor during actuation of the mechanism.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An operating mechanism for a plurality of doors including, a commonpropelling bar, means for detachably connecting each door with the barwhereby said doors are opened and closed by the movement of said bar, acommon locking bar, latch means for each door, means for detachablyconnecting each latch means with said locking bar, and a single meansfor each door for actuating the connecting means between the door andpropelling bar and also for actuating the connecting means between thelatch means of said door and the locking bar, whereby the door isdisconnected from the propelling bar and the latch means thereof isdisconnected from the locking bar.

2. An operating mechanism for a plurality of doors including, a commonpropelling bar, means for detachably connecting each door with the barwhereby said doors are opened and closed by the movement of said bar, acommon locking bar, latch means for each door, means for detachablyconnecting each latch means with said locking bar, a single means foreach door for actuating the connecting means between the door andpropelling bar and also for actuating the connecting means between thelatch means of said door and the locking bar, whereby the door isdisconnected from the propelling bar and the latch means thereof isdisconnected from the locking bar, and means for preventing actuation ofthe locking bar while the propelling bar is in an intermediate positionand the doors connected therewith are not in a completely open or closedposition.

3. An operating mechanism for a plurality of doors including, a commonpropelling bar, means for detachably connecting each door with the barwhereby said doors are opened and closed by the movement of said bar, acommon locking bar, latch means for each door, means for detachablyconnecting each latch means with said locking bar, a single means foreach door for actuating the connecting means between the door andpropelling bar and also for actuating the connecting means between thelatch means of said door and the locking bar, whereby the door isdisconnected from the propelling bar and the latch means thereof isdisconnected from the locking bar, and means for indicating the positionof each door when the propelling bar is operated.

4. An operating mechanism for a plurality of doors including, a commonpropelling bar, means for detachably connecting each door with the barwhereby said doors are opened and closed by the movement of said bar, acommon locking bar, latch means for each door, means for detachablyconnecting each latch means with said locking bar, a single means foreach door for actuating the connecting means between the door andpropelling bar and also for actuating the connecting means between thelatch means of said door and the locking bar, whereby the door isdisconnected from the propelling bar and the latch means thereof isdisconnected from the locking bar, means for indicating the position ofeach door when the propelling bar is operated, and means for preventingactuation of the locking bar while the propelling bar is in anintermediate position and the doors connected there with are not in acompletely open or closed position.

5. An operating mechanism for a plurality of doors including, a commonpropelling bar, swinging means for detachably connecting each door withsaid bar whereby actuation of the bar will impart motion to said doors,a common locking bar, a latch for each door, swinging means fordetachably connecting each latch with said looking bar whereby actuationof the bar will lock or unlock the door, and an individual means forengaging the connecting means between the propelling bar and each doorand also for engaging the connecting means between the locking bar andthe latch of said door to swing the same, whereby upon actuation ofsaid'individual means the door is disconnected from the propelling barand its latch is disconnected from the locking bar.

6. An operating mechanism for a plurality of doors including, a commonmovable propelling bar, a pivoted yoke secured to each door for engagingthe propelling bar to connect said door to the bar, a common lockingbar, a latch for each door, a pivoted yoke connected with each latch forengaging the locking bar to connect the locking bar and latch, and asingle means above each door for engaging the yokes associated with thatdoor to swing the same and disconnect said door from the propelling barand to disconnect the latch of said door from the locking bar.

7. An operating mechanism for a plurality of doors including, a commonmovable propelling bar, a pivoted yoke secured to each door for engagingthe propelling bar to connect said door to the bar, a common lockingbar, a latch for each door, a pivoted yoke connected with each latch forengaging the locking bar to connect the looking bar and latch, and aswinging member for each door adapted to engage the yokes to swing thesame, whereby the door is disconnected from the propelling bar and thelatch is disconnected from the locking bar.

8. An operating mechanism for a plurality of doors including, a commonmovable propelling bar, a pivoted yoke secured to each door for engagingthe propelling bar to connect said door to the bar, a common lockingbar, a latch for each door, a pivoted yoke connected with each latch forengaging the locking bar to connect the locking bar and latch, a singlemeans above each door for engaging the yokes associated with that doorto swing the same and disconnect said door from the propelling bar andto disconnect the latch of said door from the locking bar, and

means for indicating the position of each door when the propelling baris moved.

9. An operating mechanism for a plurality of doors including, a commonmovable propelling bar, a pivoted yoke secured to each door for engagingthe propelling bar to connect said door to the bar, a common lockingbar, a latch for each door, a pivoted yoke connected with each latch forengaging the locking bar to connect the looking bar and latch, a singlemeans above each door for engaging the yokes associated with that doorto swing the same and disconnect said door from the propelling bar andto disconnect the latch of said door from the locking bar, and means forpreventing actuation of the locking bar while the propelling bar is inan intermediate position and the doors connected therewith are not in acompletely open or closed position.

10. An operating mechanism for a plurality of doors including, a commonmovable propelling bar, a pivoted yoke secured to each door for engagingthe propelling bar to connect said door to the bar, a common lockingbar, a latch for each door, a pivoted yoke connected with each latch forengaging the locking bar to connect the locking bar and latch, aswinging member for each door adapted to engage the yokes to swing thesame, whereby the door is disconnected from the propelling bar and thelatch is disconnected from the locking bar, and means for preventingactuation of the locking bar while the propelling bar is in anintermediate position and the doors connected therewith are not in acompletely open or closed position.

11. An operating mechanism for a plurality of doors including, a commonmovable propelling bar, a pivoted yoke secured to each door for engagingthe propelling bar to connect said door to the bar, a common lockingbar, a latch for each door, a pivoted yoke connected with each latchforengaging the locking bar to connect the locking bar and latch, aswinging member for each door adapted to engage the yokes to swing thesame, whereby the door is disconnected from the propelling bar and thelatch is disconnected from the locking bar, means for preventingactuation of the locking bar while the propelling bar is in anintermediate position and the doors connected therewith are not in acompletely open or closed position, and means for indicating theposition of each door when the propelling bar is moved.

12. An operating mechanism for a plurality of doors including, a commonpropelling bar, a pivoted yoke secured to each door for engaging thepropelling bar to connect said door to the bar, a rotatable worm havinga driving connection with the bar to move said bar when the worm isrotated, manually operated means for rotating said worm, a commonlocking bar, a latch for each door, a pivoted yoke connected with eachlatch for engaging the locking bar to connect said latch with the bar,manually operated means for moving the locking bar to actuate all of thelatches connected therewith, and means for preventing operation of thepropelling bar when the locking bar is in a position holding the latchesin a locked position and also for preventing movement of the locking barwhen the propelling bar is in an intermediate position.

13. An operating mechanism for a plurality of doors including, a commonpropelling bar, a pivoted yoke secured to each door for engaging thepropelling bar to connect said door to the bar, a rotatable worm havinga driving connection with the bar to move said. bar when the worm isrotated, manually operated means for rotating said worm, a commonlocking bar, a latch bar for each door, a pivoted yoke connected witheach latch for engaging the locking bar to connect said latch with thebar, manually operated means for moving the locking bar to actuate allof the latches connected therewith, a single means above each door forengaging the yokes associated with that door to simultaneously swing thesame, whereby such door is disconnected from the propelling bar and thelatch of said door is disconnected from the locking bar, and means forpreventing operation of the propelling bar when the locking bar is in aposition holding the latches in a locked position and also forpreventing movement of the locking bar when the propelling bar is in anintermediate position.

14. An operating mechanism for a plurality of doors including, a commonpropelling bar, means for detachably connecting each door with the barwhereby said doors are opened and closed by the movement of said bar, acommon locking bar, latch means for each door, means for detachablyconnecting each latch means with said locking bar, a transverse shaftextending above each door and disposed transversely within the casing, asingle swinging release means on each shaft for engaging the connectingmeans between the door therebelow and the propelling bar and also forengaging the connecting means between the latch means of said door andthe locking bar whereby when the release means is swung the door and itslatch are disconnected, an actuating member secured on each shaft andextending upwardly therefrom, and a pull rod connected with eachactuating member for swinging the release member, the rods of all of therelease members terminating at a common point so as to be readilyaccessible to the operator and also being mounted in various verticaland horizontal

